Certain Powers: The Misadventures
by UndergroundDaydreams
Summary: The king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers. But what if Sarah used these powers in a way Jareth had not intended? A serial crossover and prequel to the Labyrinth.
1. Prologue

**Certain Powers: The Misadventures**

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth. I just like to play there. The same disclaimer applies to any and all worlds that may pop up in this story._

o0O0o-

_**Prologue**_

_The king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers…_

It would be today. He was sure of it. He had been watching her all afternoon, rehearsing the lines in her pretty costume, that infernal mutt lying beneath the tree preventing him from getting any closer. To speed things along, he conjured a thunderstorm, the first drops sending her sprinting for home.

With a flap of his wings, he took flight, intent on the castle beyond the Goblin City. He had only to wait.

Today would be the day she would say the words.

-o0O0o-

Sarah tore through the streets of her small northeastern hometown, racing the storm with Merlin close at her heels. It was 7 o'clock and she was late. Her house came into sight, and she ran for the front door, only for it to open, her stepmother blocking the entrance with her hands on her hips.

"You're late."

Sarah rolled her eyes at her disapproving tone, and pushed past the diminutive woman into the entryway. "Sorry."

"Don't use that tone with me, young lady."

Sarah whirled around at the sound of the door closing. "I can use any tone I want to. You're not my mother."

Karen sighed. "You're right. I'm not your mother. But a girl your age should take some responsibility. If you say you're going to be somewhere at a certain time-"

"You can't tell me what to do! I hate you!" Sarah ran up the stairs, waiting for Merlin to slip inside before slamming her bedroom door closed behind her. Pulling out the slim red book she had been reading in the park when Mother Nature had so rudely interrupted, she tossed it onto the vanity. With a huff, she flounced onto her window seat, pulling her knees up to her chest as she watched the rain fall in full force now.

She looked up at a knock on her door, her dad's voice calling out to her from the other side. "Sarah?" He paused a moment waiting for a response that didn't come. "Sarah, we've got to go now, but we've put Toby down for the night. There's some leftover lasagna in the fridge if you're hungry."

Sarah rested her chin on her knees with a sigh. "Fine. Go."

"Oh, and Karen would like for you to pick up the living room while we're gone, and start the dishwasher after you've eaten. Okay, hon?" He lingered a moment longer before she heard his heavy footsteps down the stairs followed shortly by the sound of the front door closing. Sarah looked down at them as they got into the car, feeling vindicated when the wind flipped Karen's umbrella inside out, her vapid shrieks rising up through the storm as the cold rain soaked into her silk blouse and pulled at her carefully coiffed curls. Robert rushed to her side, shielding her with his own umbrella as she climbed in, running awkwardly around to the driver's side. Sarah watched as they drove away until the car was out of sight around the corner.

A cold, wet nudge at her hand drew her attention, Merlin letting out a small whine. Sarah smiled at him as she ruffled the fur on top of his head. She scooted over, patting the empty space beside her. "Come on, Merlin. Up."

Merlin placed two big furry paws on the window seat, looking at her once before pushing off with his back feet. He turned in a tight circle two and a half times before flopping down with a yawn.

"It must be nice being a dog, dreaming the day away, no expectations." Sarah sighed as she draped herself over the large sheepdog, wrapping her arms around his neck. "They treat me like a slave. It's just not fair." She nuzzled her face into his fur, turning her head toward the storm raging outside the window. "At least I have you, Merlin."

It wasn't long before the storm began to clear, the puffy clouds orange and pink in the fading light. Off in the distance, a rainbow arced across the sky. Sarah lifted her head and smiled. "Hey, look at that. What do you say we chase the end of the rainbow?" Merlin lifted his head slightly, smacking his lips sleepily in response before letting it sink back down on his front paws.

Sarah sighed, resting her chin on top on Merlin's head. "I guess you're right. We can't exactly go anywhere with that little goblin in the other room, can we?"

She turned her head, snuggling in deeper, her gaze fixed on the rainbow. "Wouldn't it be nice, though? To go an adventure somewhere far away, some place magical." She yawned, her eyelids growing heavy. "Sometimes, _I wish…_" The rest of the words fell softly under her breath as she drifted off to sleep.

-o0O0o-

"Your majesty! Your majesty!" the goblin screeched as he ran into the throne room, tripping over his own feet in his haste to bring the news.

Jareth was draped in his throne, unaware of the chaos in the room as he sat contemplating the game to come. He looked down at the goblin as he fell to his knees, his lips pressed into a thin line, irritated at the intrusion. He tapped a riding crop impatiently against his boot. "Yes?"

"The girl!"

"What of her?"

The goblin looked around the room at the others in an unanswered plea for support. He swallowed nervously before looking up at his liege. "She's gone."

Jareth bolted upright. "What?"

The small goblin cowered, inching backwards. "She made a wish, but they weren't the right words. And then she disappeared."

Jareth conjured a crystal, staring at it intently before throwing it forcefully against the wall, the glass shattering and the light scattering into a thousand tiny rainbows. "Damn that girl! Do I have to spell it out for her?" Jareth glanced around the now silent room, all eyes fixed on their king. He pointed toward a large goblin loitering in an arched doorway. "You there. Fetch my travelling cloak."

He strode purposefully toward the large wooden doors leading out to the Goblin City. "Inform Marco that I will be out of the kingdom for an unspecified amount of time." In the doorway he turned back, a scowl on his face as he surveyed the room. "And if you value your mangy little necks, you'll stay out of trouble while I'm gone. Is that clear?"

A murmur of agreement rose up from the room, a goblin handing him his cloak nodding and scampering off. The room grew quiet as the doors slammed shut behind the Goblin King.

-o0O0o-

_**Author's Note:**_

_I don't know what to say about this story, and I'm not exactly sure what genre it will fall in. I'm literally going to be making it up as I go along. It is a prequel, so it's not a romance exactly, although there will probably be elements of it scattered throughout. It was just an idea that popped in my head while I was drifting off to sleep. What if her certain powers enabled her to wish herself into the story, but not necessarily the story Jareth intended? So, essentially, this will be a series of misadventures in various storybook realms before she finally says the "right words", and given that Jareth has a vested interest, he intervenes._

_Fair warning: I have no allegiance to cannon in any of these other worlds. Most likely I'll take bits and pieces from various retellings that I like and mash them together, twisting them into whatever I need them to be. _

_Thanks for reading! Please, leave a contribution in the little box. :) Any guesses where she's going first? It should be fairly obvious, I think. ;)_


	2. The Wizard  Part 1

**Certain Powers: The Misadventures**

-o0O0o-

_**The Wizard – Part 1**_

Sarah blinked in the bright light, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she sat up. Merlin lifted his head and whined. She ruffled his fur as she stretched. "What is it, boy?"

She yelped as something sharp poked her thigh. Opening her eyes, her hand drifted down to pluck at the hay bale they were laying on. Her eyes grew wide as they panned over the landscape – yellow brick road, a wooden fence, a golden corn field under a blue sunny sky. "Merlin…I don't think we're in Kansas anymore…."

"Dorothy! Dorothy!" Sarah squinted at the figure leaping toward them through the field. She rose as it approached, Merlin moving to stand in front of her, shuffling his feet nervously. He barked once, letting it trail off into a whine as the figure reached the fence, tripping once over its booted feet. Her suspicions were confirmed when he climbed awkwardly over the fence, his knees giving out under him before righting himself once more.

Merlin barked again, the scarecrow coming to an abrupt halt, crouching with his arm raised in a defensive posture. When Merlin didn't come any closer, he slowly rose to his full height. Sarah guessed that he cleared six feet easily. He peered closely at her as he scratched his head. "You're not Dorothy…"

"Um….no. I'm Sarah." She grabbed Merlin's collar, holding him close when he began barking in earnest. "Sorry. This is Merlin. He's not usually so on edge. It's just, you know, you're a scarecrow."

"One of a kind this side of the Emerald City! That I know of, anyways." He hooked his thumbs under the straps of his overalls, beaming at her. "S.C. Pickens is the name. Corn's the game."

Sarah returned his smile. "I didn't know you had a name, at least I don't remember one in the story."

"Chose it myself. Couldn't very well run my own business without a name now, could I?" He leaned in closer. "There's stories about me? Well, gollee!" He kicked his foot, the motion sending him spinning. He just managed to keep upright and nearly lost his hat. "Imagine that! Stories about me!"

"Yeah, there's a few, I think, but I've only read the first. Well, that and the movie."

"What's a movie?"

Sarah quirked her lips, not sure how to explain it. "It's like moving pictures…but not all that important, really."

He nodded his head like he understood. "Not from around here, are you? Those are some funny looking clothes you've got on..."

Merlin plopped down on the road with a small whine and Sarah released his collar. She pulled at the skirt of her dress revealing the jeans underneath. "Well, I wasn't exactly planning on going anywhere." She scrunched her toes inside her loafers. At least she had comfortable shoes.

"How did you get here, anyways?"

Sarah looked off into the distance, emerald sparking over the rolling hills. "I don't know. I was asleep in my room one minute, and when I woke up, I was here. This must be some kind of dream—"

"Ouch!" She rubbed her upper arm where he had pinched her, turning accusing eyes on the scarecrow. "What'd you do that for?"

"You can't feel pain in dreams, you know. During the rapid eye movement stage of sleep, your body goes into a state of paralysis. Can't hurt yourself that way. Smart, isn't it?" He nodded toward her arm. "Must not be a dream, then."

Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. "Maybe or maybe not."

"Think it's a spell?" He scratched his head. "Don't see how, though. Dorothy killed the Wicked Witch of the East when she landed in Munchkinland and she melted the Wicked Witch of the West."

"I don't know. All I know is I've got to get home. Karen's going to kill me."

"Who's Karen?"

"A wicked stepmother."

"S'pose she cast the spell?"

"Oh, no." Sarah shook her head. "She'd keep me shackled at home if she could, not send me to another world where she couldn't boss me around and force me to babysit."

"Hmm…well, there's only one thing to do, the way I see it."

"Which is?"

"If you want to get home," he pulled up straighter and nodded, "you've got to see the Wizard!"

She raised a brow. "The Wizard of Oz? I thought he left."

"Nope. Didn't make it but halfway to the southern swamplands before his balloon crashed and he was right back in the Emerald City a few days later. Been there ever since."

"Oh."

"Come on." He looped his arm through hers, pulling her along beside him. "I'll take you there. Need to see the wizard myself."

Sarah pulled back as they reached the edge of the field. "Wait. Aren't we supposed to follow the yellow brick road?"

"Oh, yes, ma'am. Just need to get a few things first. Gotta be prepared, you know." He helped her over the fence, gripping her hand and pulling her along behind him as they marched up to a large lavish house, Merlin pattering along beside her.

They entered through a small wooden door in the back that led into a large kitchen. It reminded her of something out of one of Karen's magazines, like Cottage Living, or one of those. A small woman she assumed was a munchkin was gathering up towels in her apron. Sarah's greeting was met with silence as the munchkin woman ducked her head and scurried from the room.

"Now then, what to bring?" S.C. grabbed a knapsack dangling from a coat rack and began filling it with odds and ends: a towel, a blanket, a pot, a few utensils, a container of tea, a small box that contained a set of porcelain teacups and saucers, and a small jar of honey. He filled a large container with water and attached it to the bag with a strap.

Sarah slid into a chair at the large wooden table in the center of the kitchen. "Who was that woman?"

"The munchkin that just left? She's just one of the house maids." He rifled through some bags on the counter, pulling out a loaf of bread and holding it up triumphantly. "Corn bread!" He pulled out a few more food items, rattling off their names and he stuffed each one in the knapsack, "Popped corn, creamed corn, corn chips…"

"Do you have a lot of munchkins working for you?"

He looked up from securing the sack with a quizzical tilt of his head. "They all work for me. You see, when I took over the corn fields 'round these parts, I gave each family a plot of land to work and in return they get a share of food and a house to live in. Read about it in a book." He beamed proudly at her, hooking his thumbs under his suspenders.

Sarah narrowed her eyes, thinking. "Isn't that like serfdom or indentured servitude or something? Don't they have anything that's theirs?"

"Give 'em everything they need. What could munchkins want with anything else? All that kind of stuff is just a distraction. Keeps 'em from working like they should. Couldn't have worked it out better if I'd thought of it myself."

"Who are you to say what they need? That's horrible!"

He tapped a finger at his temple. "No, that's smart." He leaned toward her, studying her closely. "You're not very bright, are you?" He guffawed, straightening as he slung the pack over his shoulder. "Good thing you have me coming along to help you out!"

Sarah wasn't so sure about that.

After taking S.C.'s advice to pee before they left, they were tramping through the corn field, making their way back to the yellow brick road. S.C. paused to look up into the branches of a solitary tree near the fence line. "Well, would you look at that – an owl!"

Sarah stopped beside him, looking up at the bird perched on a low branch. She had a flash of recognition. It reminded her of the owl she always saw in the park by her house. But that was silly, wasn't it? Barn owls all looked pretty much the same.

S.C. rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Think I could train him up?"

"Excuse me?"

"Like the crows. Don't have to worry about crows anymore since they all work for me, keeping an eye on the munchkins. Reckon it'd be a handy thing to have an owl around. If I could only catch him…"

In response, the owl puffed up his feathers and then swooped down from the branch, disappearing among the corn stalks before reemerging and flying low, the scarecrow having to duck to avoid his attack. The owl landed on a fence post, his eyes narrowed.

"I don't think he likes that idea," Sarah said.

"No, I think—" S.C.'s words trailed off as he began to twitch. The twitch grew into a full-fledged seizure, his arms and legs flailing every which way. "Get it off! Get it off!"

Sarah's eyes widened, at a loss for what to do. "What is it? What's the matter?"

With a final shake of his leg, a small mouse plopped out on top of his boot, a piece of straw in its mouth. Merlin planted his front legs and chin on the ground and barked happily at the small animal, his rump high in the air and his tail wagging. The mouse scurried away, pausing only once to touch noses with the large sheepdog and then disappeared into the rows of corn.

S.C. was pulling himself together, stuffing straw back into place and gathering up his hat and knapsack. "I don't much like mice," he said as he fixed his hat on his head. "Owl's eat mice, you know. They're night predators, and silent at that. Might be a good idea to have one around to keep the mice from stealing my stuffin' when I'm asleep."

Sarah glanced from the owl back to S.C., not feeling overly sympathetic. "I'm not sure that one is willing to be tamed."

S.C. looked warily at the owl. "S'pose you're right. Not very friendly, is he?" Having righted himself, he climbed over the fence, helping Sarah over. They stood there looking at each other, Sarah waiting for a cue on what to do next. When none came, she shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, I guess we're off to see the wizard…"

"The Wonderful Wizard of OZ!" His smile was a little more crazy than she'd like.

"Right…" Sarah kept him in her peripheral vision as she turned to begin walking down the road, Merlin growling when he moved to stand beside her. The scarecrow fell into step a few paces behind her, whistling a familiar tune.

Oz wasn't turning out to be at all like she expected.

-o0O0o-

_**Author's note:**_

_And so it begins – Sarah's first misadventure in Oz. As I mentioned in the prologue, I have absolutely no allegiance to cannon in any of these other worlds, so anything goes. Literally whatever pops in my head while writing._

_I know this is very different from what I usually write, and I'm not spending a whole lot of time polishing it, but I needed something completely different from the romance/angst to give myself a distraction when my muse is threatening to strike. So, if you're actually reading this, you'll have to indulge me this little sanity saving story so I can refresh and focus on my proper Laby fics. ;) Rest assured, Jareth will be around._

_Thanks for reading! Please, leave a contribution in the little box. :)_


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